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9 No widow may be put on the list of widows unless she is over sixty, has been faithful to her husband, 10 and is well known for her good deeds, such as bringing up children, showing hospitality, washing the feet of the Lord’s people, helping those in trouble and devoting herself to all kinds of good deeds. ~ 1 Timothy 5:9-10
Christianity places very high value on loving those who are most vulnerable. We do this in response to God's heart which has always been for the weak and the least. And, if we have been born again and we are growing in our walk with the Lord, we will reflect the Father's heart to others, especially the most vulnerable among us.
In today's text, God gives more instruction for the widows in the church. We have already learned from the Apostle Paul that the children and grandchildren of the widow are held responsible for taking care of her. If she has no children or grandchildren, her second means of support should come from those who know her in her extended family. And only after those two options have been exhausted does a woman then become the care of the whole church body.
In the early church there were widowed women who had very important roles in the church. These women were called on to several different types of ministries wherein they would help the needy in the church. Many would counsel the younger women and others would help with the children's ministry in the church. And, even then, many would help with the abandoned children in their city, in this case, Ephesus.
You see, in those days children were often abandoned and someone would have to take them in and care for them or else the boys would be taken into the gladiator training program, and the young girls would be taken in by some prostitute who would raise them to eventually be prostitutes in one of the many local brothels.
In today's text we are given the qualifications for these widows. In v.9 we read, "No widow may be put on the list of widows unless she is over sixty, has been faithful to her husband."
The first qualification is that they are at least sixty years of age. In that day sixty was the age of retirement. The idea was they would be very unlikely to remarry and they would be able to throw themselves into this much needed ministry. Of course, if the ministry was not their desire, they were not forced into the ministry.
The second qualification given in v.9 she is to have been a one-man woman. The construction of this verse doesn’t mean that she’s only been married once because as we read in v.14, it was no sin for a younger woman to want to remarry. A one-man woman is a woman who was devoted to the man to whom she was married. She was not known to have run around on her husband. Divorce did not disqualify her for this type of ministry.
In v.10 we are given a third qualification. It reads, "She is well known for her good deeds, such as bringing up children, showing hospitality, washing the feet of the Lord’s people, helping those in trouble and devoting herself to all kinds of good deeds."
She had a reputation for good works and of excellent character. This is the kind of woman the early church put on the list because this is the kind of woman one would want all the rest of our women to be.
Her qualities had been demonstrated in her home while raising her children and showing hospitality to those who needed lodging. She was known to wash the feet of those who would come to her home. She was a woman who is not above the most humble menial service rendered to someone else. She spent her life helping people at personal inconvenience with humility.
It is no wonder that those who walk closest to the Lord are used in the best ways in the lives of others. As we choose to give our hearts to Him daily, He is faithful to give us His heart for Him and others, especially those who can not repay us. This is the essence of true ministry. Ministry is finding creative ways to love people in practical ways.
It is often that the injured injure others. This makes sense and is common. What is not common is when the injured bless others. This is the work God. Only God can teach us to turn a pain into a blessing. This is the practical application of His cross to our perception of life. When God invited us into His presence, He made it possible for us to witness His reality. He experienced pain, the worst pain, so that we could see the blessing in the pain. A wounded heart makes for effective ministry because it knows the healing touch of its Savior.
